


Look At Us Now

by Maluminspace



Series: Song Fics [1]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Angst, Cashton, Fluff, Gay, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Sexual Content, gay relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 15:45:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18210311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maluminspace/pseuds/Maluminspace
Summary: The sunlight is filling the bright kitchen and it bathes Ashton in a soft glow as he spoons cornflakes into his mouth drowsily, dripping milk all over his chin and the otherwise gleaming tabletop.Calum chuckles fondly. “Careful, beautiful.” He says, his voice still thick with sleep. “You’re making quite a puddle over there.”A confused little sound escapes the redhead as his pretty hazel eyes flicker up to meet Calum’s from behind his horn-rimmed glasses.Another laugh escapes Calum as he reaches across the table, wiping a tiny white droplet from his boyfriend’s chin. “No wonder we need to buy milk every other day.” He sighs fondly, “you spill more of it over yourself and the table than you actually get in to your mouth.”ORCalum's had it tough but things are finally working out for the better. There's just one thing that'll make his new life perfect...





	Look At Us Now

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mermaidcashton](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mermaidcashton/gifts), [merlypops](https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlypops/gifts).



> Again, this was meant to be fluffy, but it got angsty!
> 
> This is the first fic in my song oneshots series (I have a few more planned)
> 
> Believe it or not, this was inspired by ‘flowers in the window’ by travis and the title is take from it too.
> 
> I’m gifting this to Claire because it’s cashton and she’s a hoe for them and also Katy because she helped me believe that this was worth posting <3

He never thought this kind of life was a possibility for him. Buying a pretty little house in the suburbs with window boxes full of fresh spring flowers, becoming a dad to the cutest puppy imaginable and living with the most beautiful man on earth, had all seemed ridiculously impossible to Calum once upon a time.

When you've grown up in a toxic environment, barely scraping by and making mistake after mistake in your quest to better yourself, it can certainly leave you feeling dejected and worthless. This is precisely where Calum was in his life when he met Ashton.

Having to constantly battle to keep his head above water, Calum had grown cold and distant from the world around him and the people in it. He started relying on alcohol, sex and drugs to numb the constant ache his tough life had left him with.

Luckily, Ashton had stumbled into Calum’s life, quite literally, at a drab club on the bad side of town. Just as the dark haired man had been about to strike a dangerous bargain with a nasty drug dealer, this lanky, tipsy angel had tripled over Calum’s foot, sending him crashing to ground along with Calum’s beer. 

By the time Calum had helped the drunk boy to his feet, he was already falling hard and fast for him. Those pretty hazel eyes, rosy cheeks, soft pink lips and fluffy sand-coloured curls had started to cast a spell on him that he was sure he’d always be immune to.

The younger man had known instantly that Ashton didn’t belong in that dingy nightclub. Beautiful, innocent looking boys such as him were rarely found on that side of town. Sure enough, Calum had later found out that Ashton had been separated from his friends and in an attempt to meet up with them again, had misheard the address and ended up further away from them than before.

From that moment on, Calum had been forced to believe in fate. Surely he was _meant_ to meet Ashton that night. Someone or something had arranged for that shiny angel to stumble into that club and stop Calum from spiralling further out of control.

All of that seemed like a lifetime ago now. Even on those sad nights that Calum spills his heart out to Ashton about his past, it feels like he’s recounting someone else’s life completely. It’s almost as though there was an entirely different Calum, a Calum that had failed at everything and buried himself in a hole he couldn’t get out of. The new Calum thinks that he knows precisely when the old one had died. It was the night he’d drank himself into a stupor and started choking on his own vomit, laying on the cold grimy tiles of his grotty, city centre apartment. 

The old Calum never woke up again the following morning. Instead, a new Calum had risen, nestled safely in Ashton’s arms. A Calum that was determined to get his shit together and spend his whole life making his angel boy happy. He promised himself that the new Calum would do everything in his power to show Ashton that he could be a decent human being and help make a good life for the two of them.

It’d taken a lot of time, a lot of blood sweat and tears but they’d actually made it. The better life Calum had always been striving for had finally arrived. 

He smiles sleepily at his boyfriend across the breakfast table. Ashton is a little older now but he’s ageing well, growing softer in all the right ways and only becoming more beautiful as time passes. 

Despite insisting that he doesn’t care about getting older, Ashton had very recently dyed his sandy hair a bright crimson red. The older man had explained that he simply felt like a change but Calum knew it was an attempt at clinging to his youth as he nears his thirtieth birthday. Whatever the reason, Calum enjoys the new hair colour, it suites Ashton well and helps exude a level of charisma and fun that his previous style hadn’t allowed him to.

After overhearing a few snide comments from friends and family about Ashton’s new look, Calum had dyed his own hair platinum blonde in a bold display of solidarity. It was just about as far from his previously jet black curls as it could possibly get. Ashton seemed to adore it, though and that’s all that matters. However, he later found that the new colour hid his increasing number of grey hairs perfectly which was a very welcome bonus.

The sunlight is filling the bright kitchen and it bathes Ashton in a soft glow as he spoons cornflakes into his mouth drowsily, dripping milk all over his chin and the otherwise gleaming tabletop. 

Calum chuckles fondly. “Careful, beautiful.” He says, his voice still thick with sleep. “You’re making quite a puddle over there.”

A confused little sound escapes the redhead as his pretty hazel eyes flicker up to meet Calum’s from behind his horn-rimmed glasses.

Another laugh escapes Calum as he reaches across the table, wiping a tiny white droplet from his boyfriend’s chin. “No wonder we need to buy milk every other day.” He sighs fondly, “you spill more of it over yourself and the table than you actually get in to your mouth.”

Ashton huffs indignantly, even though he leans lovingly into Calum’s touch. “You can talk, Hood.” He smirks. “I’ve seen the countertop when you’ve made our morning coffees! It took my like ten minutes to clean up after you the other day.”

A cheeky smirk paints Calum’s face as he leans across the table to plant a kiss to Ashton’s lips. “Well I clean up your sticky messes every night.” He winks. 

Blushing with embarrassment, Ashton gives his boyfriend a playful scowl before picking up his cereal bowl and getting to his feet. “Well you wouldn’t have to, if you swallowed it a little more often.” He counters slyly, crossing the kitchen to the sink by the window.

“I’m sorry that the human body doesn’t allow for me to fuck you _and_ suck you off at the same time, beautiful.” Calum sighs, rolling his eyes fondly as he picks up his empty coffee cup and follows his boyfriend over to the sink. “I can do them both separately though, every night if you want me to... you only have to ask.” He adds, snaking his arms sound Ashton’s waist, dropping his mug into the sink before resting his head on the shoter man’s shoulder. 

As he holds Ashton close to his chest, the bright red and yellow pansies in the pretty little wooden box outside of the window catch Calum’s eye. It’s possibly a weird moment to realise it, but Calum sees the joy that Ashton gives him reflected back at him in the colourful blooms. The flowers just suddenly seem like a physical representation of the younger man’s feelings and it almost brings a tear to his eye.

Ashton’s familiar warmth and scent only make this moment feel more significant. He’s always known that Ashton is _the one_ , his soulmate and his best friend, and despite trying hard to always make the older man aware of this, there’s one (rather obvious but potentially terrifying) act that Calum hadn’t quite gotten round to doing yet. It feels like it’s long overdue, though, and he has an all-consuming urge to make that final leap of faith - to propose to the soft sleepy angel in his arms.

Ashton giggles sweetly, pulling Calum’s attention back inside the kitchen. “What if I asked for them right now?” He enquires, raising an eyebrow as he meets Calum’s gaze in the gleaming window in front of them.

Taking advantage of the utter peace that seems to envelop him and the surprising confidence that stems from it, Calum gently places his hands on Ashton’s hips and turns him around so that they’re facing each other. “I’d be happy to please you in all the ways, beautiful.” He whispers, a gentle smile playing on his lips. “But first, I have a question to ask you.”

Ashton’s pretty face creases into a curious frown but he nods nevertheless, stroking Calum’s cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. “Okay... Is everything alright?”

Calum places a soft kiss to his boyfriend’s lips before pulling back to meet his gaze again. “Never better...” He replies. “I just feel like everything is finally falling into place. We have our lovely home, our gorgeous baby Duke..," He sends the sleeping little puppy in the corner a fond smile before returning his attention to Ashton. "And despite my past fuck ups, my life is _almost_ perfect now.” The younger man explains. 

“Almost?” Ashton queries, his brow creasing again in a questioning expression. “What else do you need, babe?” The redhead’s voice is a little nervous like 's worrying that Calum’s going to say something his boyfriend won’t like.

To ease Ashton’s nerves, Calum takes the older man’s hands in his own. “I’m glad you asked that, angel.” He smiles, finally biting the bullet and dropping to one knee. 

Ashton’s confused expression suddenly melts into a surprised one, his eyes widening in realisation as his lips part around a shocked little gasp. “Cal...” he breathes shakily.

“The only thing that can complete my life, the last puzzle piece to make everything _perfect_ is if you’ll promise to spend the rest of your life with me.” Calum smiles, successfully managing to keep his voice and hands steady. “So, Ashton Fletcher Irwin, will you marry me?”

What Calum sincerely hopes are happy tears, start to stream down Ashton’s face as he ducks down to his boyfriend’s level. “Yes, Calum Thomas Hood.” He replies thickly. “Of course I’ll marry you!”

Calum smiles so widely that it hurts his cheeks but he couldn’t care less. He kisses Ashton like he’s never wanted anything more in his whole life. “I love you so much, beautiful.” he mutters into Ashton’s lips. 

A watery chuckle escapes Ashton as he wraps his arms eagerly around Calum’s neck. “I love you too! More than anything else in the world.”

The kisses they share in that moment are so excitable and enthusiastic that the two of them end up tumbling sideways to the floor. Ashton's glasses slip down his nose and dig into Calum's cheek but neither of them really notice

After a long moment Calum finally pulls back from the kiss and stares down at his new fiancé. Ashton has never looked so gorgeous, his crimson curls fanning out behind his head on the white tiles, his sparkling hazel eyes still glistening with tears behind his crooked glasses. “Look at you.” He pants softly. “How the _fuck_ did I get so lucky?”

Ashton rolls his eyes with a sickening amount of fondness. “Would it ruin the moment if I told you that you’re about to get lucky in another sense?”

It’s Calum’s turn to act exasperated but he’s too overwhelmed with joy to pull it off very well. “Only if you let me carry you up to the bedroom romantically before I make soft, passionate love to you.” He giggles.

Ashton pretends to consider the offer before placing another kiss to Calum’s lips. “If by making soft, passionate love you mean fuck me so hard that the bed knocks against the wall and annoys the neighbours again, then I’m all for it...”

Scrambling to his feet Calum agrees to Ashton’s bargain before holding out his hand to help the redhead up. “You got it, beautiful.” He grins, scooping Ashton into arms and staggering towards the hallway.

Ashton giggles as he clings to Calum in a desperate attempt to avoid falling. The sound is like heaven to the younger man and as he struggles up the stairs, balancing his whole world in his arms, he _finally_ starts to believe that he deserves this, a life that includes a lot of impromptu sex, sleepy kisses, playful arguments, long Sunday walks, plenty of lazy movie evenings, mornings spent cuddling in the kitchen and quiet moments where Calum can sit and appreciate the beauty of the flowers in their little window box.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this please let me know!  
> Kudos and comments are always very much appreciated <3


End file.
